Blood in discharge!

[SausageSimon]

Sorry to post on chat but I'm not getting much response elsewhere and I'm feeling quite worried.

I've had odd bits of blood over the past few months, only a small amount so I told my GP who tested me for STD's, other infections, ruled out pregnancy and sent for a scan. The man who did the scan said one ovary was borderline polycystic but the scan results came back all clear otherwise.

I'd only had one odd bit of blood again after the scan and for a few months nothing. Then the past 4 days I've had that small amount again until last night where there was a larger amount that was really dark and it has worried me.

Nowhere near my period, and I have no clue what could be the cause.

I'm 24 and I've been told by my GP I can't have a smear before 25 as it'll be rejected when sent off.

Has anyone had a similar experience?
I can't help but think the worst. I've managed to book an appointment for tonight but thought I would come here to see if others had experienced the same thing

Can you afford a private smear via BUPA?

OP are you on the pill? You can get breakthrough bleeding on some pills.

No point in having a smear because it’s a diagnostic tool for pre-cancerous cells, not bleeding. Could you have cervical erosion?

No hormonal contraception so that's another cause ruled out.

What causes cervical erosion?

Don't want to read and run. I'm in a semi-similar position (as in I've been having unusual bleeds and automatically thinking the worst), still waiting for an emergency scan and blood test results, the waiting with no answer is the worst but I'm rationally considering a hormone imbalance or fibroids. If your last scan said you were borderline polycystic I would be focusing on that being the cause still.

Get a private smear test.

I’m in Scotland so we get them from 20.

I had had a couple of abnormal smears but was tested for endometriosis which I didn’t have. I ended up demanding a biopsy of my cervix and had pre cancerous cells on my cervix.

If your doctor won’t do it find a doctor who will. I was lucky and caught it early enough.

What symptoms did you have please Squigly? Thank you so much for your message, I'll go private if I need to. I have a family member who would help out with the costs thankfully

I would insist on a smear test - go private if necessary.

I had this last year - I was fine in the end (a hormonal imbalance) but the clear smear result certainly put my mind at rest that at least it was nothing too serious!

I agree - get a smear done. My odd bleeding was cervical erosion, which went away by itself after a while.

Just got back from my appointment, he looked through all of my results from what we've tried so far.
He's suggested I go to the sexual health clinic Monday to get a full screening as they do more tests than at the doctors just to rule everything out.

He says if that comes back clear then we will think about having a second scan or removing my coil to see if that is causing it (but I wouldn't think so as it's been in for 3 years with no problem?)

He asked when my last smear was and I said I haven't had one yet, I said is there any way I can have one early (as I'm not 25 yet) he said he can't as even if I go private it gets sent to the same place and they'll reject it if I'm too young. Another doctor has told me this too.

You have a coil? I bet that is causing your problems. Good luck at the clinic on Monday.

It's a copper one so no hormonal changes, and it's been there for 3 years with no issues. The scan also said it's in the right position too, so I'm sceptical about an issue with that

Are you bleeding around the time you ovulate? I sometimes have break through bleeding then and have been told it’s normal. Lx

I think that smear advice is nonsense, I had smears before the age of 25 due to a couple of factors, of course it’s possible!

I’m confused by the smear advice. I had private smears from the age of 21 because I had odd symptoms - I paid privately but there was no mention of them being rejected. I’d find a private ObGyn in your area and call them for clarification if you want the smear done.

I had this for a few years before I had my son. I mentioned it and had a smear and STD check at the same time. When the nurse took the smear she mentioned she saw cervical erosion/ectopy where the cells from the inside are on the outside of the cervix which just causes a little bleeding during smears and between periods. It hasn’t come back since I had my son but wasn’t a serious concern for me.

Absolute rubbish that they'll reject it. We start them at 20 here. My friend was diagnosed with stage 2b cervical cancer at age 24. I have no idea why England don't let younger women get smears especially if they have certain symptoms.

I'm looking into trying to get a colposcopy done. It's a procedure where they examine the cells of your cervix, it's the next step they take if they get an abnormal smear result. It also says it is a good procedure for unexplained vaginal bleeding.

Definitely can't get a smear done through my GP so I'm going to go private and bypass the smear. It really worries me, my GP was really having to think of what the next step should be as we've ruled so much out but for the sake of 8 months they won't give me a smear despite symptoms!

I can't call the private hospital until 8am Monday morning, this weekend is going to drag

I would definitely get a second opinion. Your GP doesn't even seem to know how old you are.

I thought the same when he said it, another doctor also said that a smear isn't possible through them and also said about them rejecting it due to my age even if they take the sample.

Decided I'm going to go straight for the colposcopy and possibly ask for a biopsy. There's also something they can do where they insert a small camera to look inside your womb, tempted to see if they can do that at the same time as I'd rather just get everything fully checked while I'm there. A scan that I had before wouldn't identify any of these issues so I don't see the point in a second one!

I feel really angry and annoyed about this. No other options for what it could be yet they won't let me have a smear, if my grandparents weren't able to pay for private treatment then I'd be stuck. Extremely frustrating!